This disclosure relates generally to the field of solid state drives (SSDs).
SSDs are increasingly being used in computing systems instead of hard disk drives (HDDs), due to improved performance and decreased mechanical reliability issues. An SSD comprises a controller chip connected via a high speed interface to the computing system. Storage elements are connected to a controller chip via a device interface. The controller chip translates the high speed interface protocol into the protocol required by the storage elements. The storage elements may comprise flash devices, and the device interface may comprise a flash interface and buses. Over time, flash devices and buses may stop working due to overuse or prolonged exposure to high voltages. Contacts connecting the controller to the flash devices may also corrode and wear out over time. The drive life of the SSD is directly related to the usage of the SSD, because each of the flash devices that comprise the SSD supports only a limited number of program/erase (PE) cycles.